What the f*** does 'immersive' mean?
Some recent musings on the immersive art trend, exhib visits and studio stuff
One of the words I see on a daily basis online is ‘immersive’. I have a really complex relationship with the word; I often use it to describe my work, I put it in grant applications to explain the kind of projects I want to put out in the world. I’ve been to and worked at a lot of immersive events over the years (I’m working on one right now), and it seems that exhibitions and events calling themselves such are everywhere, and increasingly it is used as a catch-all word to describe many multimedia events.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word ‘immersive’ means:
adjective. /ɪˈmɜːsɪv/ /ɪˈmɜːrsɪv/ (of a game, performance, work of art, etc.) that seems to surround the player or viewer so they feel totally involved in the experience, often by using three-dimensional computer images.
The etymology of the word is maybe more interesting:
c. 1500, from Late Latin immersionem (nominative immersio), noun of action from past participle stem of immergere "to plunge in, dip into, sink, submerge," from assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (from PIE root *en "in") + Latin mergere "plunge, dip" (see merge). Meaning "absorption in some interest or situation" is from 1640s. As a method of teaching a foreign language, 1965, trademarked by the Berlitz company
or even:
Intransitive meaning "sink or disappear into something else, be swallowed up, lose identity" is from 1726, in the specific legal sense of "absorb an estate, contract, etc. into another." Transitive sense of "cause to be absorbed or to disappear in something else" is from 1728. Related: Merged; merging. As a noun, from 1805.
This isn’t an angry Substack about people projecting Van Gogh paintings into an empty space, and charging people £20 for an ‘immersive experience’. (I’ve already done that in a previous blog I think!) Like any trend, it will at some point be so overdone to be taken to its extreme, and we’ll hear about events like the Wonka Experience- now memed to death- to the point where the most cynical of us might suggest it was designed to be that bad, to achieve brief but sudden internet fame through memeability…but who knows?
It’s an intoxicating word- as in the origin of the word, we think of immersion as being enveloped by water, escaping from our surroundings, our current environment that may not be one we are enjoying being in. I recently found myself describing Dune: Part 2 as ‘immersive’, and immediately questioned my choice of wording. Aren’t most films immersive, especially when seen in the cinema?? And if so, why am I only now using the word to describe going to see a film? Why the increase in usage?
It seems almost obvious that it might be about escape, perhaps. We’re hyper-stimulated all the time, awful things happening around us, to us and to people we care about and to those all over the world in real time.
Maybe it is important to find a word for our increasing need to make the time to absorb a feeling, rather than trying and failing to focus on Everything Everywhere All At Once. (I’m referencing the film here ofc, as it really tapped into that idea of finding focus amid mental overwhelm).
If you’ve read this far I’m sure you realise I don’t have an answer of course, but I’ve certainly been digging into my own use of the word immersive and what I really mean when I use it to describe something. What does it mean to you I wonder?
Let’s explore some recent ‘immersive’ exhibitions I’ve been to…
Immersed in…Winchester
At the beginning of the month, I took a week off for my birthday, went to Kew Gardens then spent 3 days visiting Winchester. I’d never been to the latter before, it wasn’t too far away, and as I’ve spent a large amount of time over the years wandering around medieval Winchester in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, it felt like a good place to explore IRL.
Whilst I was there, I stumbled across two very different events described as ‘immersive’. Spookily, the first was 878AD- part local history museum, and part exhibition based around…AC: Valhalla! Imagine my joy as an AC fan at discovering this before visiting! Ubisoft worked with the local council to realise this very interesting project which was ultimately an interesting way to engage people with history further through the enormous influence and world-building of the AC games.
Once we left the exhibition (which featured live actors, much to the embarrassment but eventual joy of the friend I dragged along with me!) we were given a download link for an AR app that sends you on a tour of the local area, AC-style, and gives you tasks to complete such as rebuilding an old section of the Cathedral, making clay pots and stained glass windows that you can then insert into the real world using the AR function.
It was clearly intended for young people to interest them in local history, but we had a great time wandering around the town probably looking quite odd to many of the people around us. (And we placed our AR creations in completely the wrong places, as can be seen in the images below.)
The second ‘immersive experience’ I saw in Winchester was ‘Crown and Coronation’ at Winchester Cathedral. I found out it was happening on the day I arrived and thought it would be interesting to go check it out.
Full disclosure, I am very much NOT a Monarchist. I’m a UK history nerd, but am generally more interested in peoples’ history, land and stuff than royalty- learning about the past to imagine a better future, etc. The exhibition was a series of brightly coloured images and animations, with loud, clashing recordings of choral and classical music designed to make me feel “…totally immersed as you step inside the cathedral, enveloped in scenes of iconic monarchs, breathtaking coronation ceremonies and the Crown Jewels.”
Having not been in Winchester Cathedral before, seeing it lit up in this way was certainly a spectacle, and my enjoyment of it may have been dampened by my lack of interest in the subject matter. But I felt there was a lack of a strong visual concept or sense of storytelling. (The final part included a brightly coloured animated photo of King Charles to the sounds of LONG LIVE THE KING! over the speaker system- which to be honest I found hilarious and kind of weird.)
The whole thing felt uninspired and I left wondering what Luxmuralis (the creators) were given as a brief. The potential for something really beautiful in such an incredible space was huge, and I left wondering about the missed opportunity. They have some interesting installations in their portfolio that are worth a look. Both these experiences cost between £11-12, and I felt the AC exhib gave you a lot for such a small amount of money. (You can also visit there, and 2 other exhibitions in the city again anytime within the year for the price of one ticket.)
Prior to my Winchester visit, I spent my actual birthday at Kew Gardens- one of my favourite places, and fast becoming my annual tradition (sidenote: its £2 entry if you’re on any entitlements like UC, Job Seekers).
In one of the galleries there I saw ‘Petrichor’ by Mat Collishaw. I was absolutely blown away by this exhibition that was both profound and deeply unsettling in places. One piece that stood out was ‘Albion’: a spectral vision of the Robin Hood tree, a famous but dead tree, held up with scaffolding, symbolising the dying idea of colonial England so celebrated in the installation I saw later that week at Winchester Cathedral.
In the studio
I’m working lots in the studio at the moment, putting finishing touches to the next stage of my ‘organsongs’ project. I’ll be showing this work for a select audience in April, with a view to bringing it to the public at a later date, thanks to support from The Old Market and tech artist extraordinare Thomas Buckley.
The organs are taking on a bit of a life of their own- one is tentatively taking its first steps infront of other eyes and is on show in video form here, just until tomorrow,. I’ve been starting to collaborate with other Autistic artists and sound artists on this project, which is really exciting, as the goal is to make this a more collaborative project, rather than stuck exclusively inside my brain.
Links and Resources
https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/event/luxmuralis/
https://projectionartgallery.com/index.php/installation/